On Thursday, August 13 from 6-9pm DC Central Kitchen and DC Loud, an organization that promotes local nonprofits and community causes through live music, will co-host “In Good Spirits: From the Kitchen to the Community.” The evening fundraiser will take place at DC’s brand new distillery, One Eight Distilling.

The event will feature live music from local R&B artist Lamont Bagfeel & Hippie Control and folk group Letitia VanSant & the Bonafides and include a silent auction. Auction items include a $100 gift certificate to Cactus Cantina, 2 inbox field seats for an upcoming Washington Nationals game, a 3-night stay in Exuma, Bahamas, gift certificates to Wonderland Ballroom, and more! Tickets are $20, include a complimentary cocktail from One Eight Distilling, and can be purchased online here. We’ll also be selling food from our social enterprise Fresh Start Catering. 100% of proceeds benefit DC Central Kitchen’s Culinary Job Training Program!

We hope you’ll take a few hours to come out and support DCCK at this great new spot in Northeast DC.

On Friday, July 10, DC Central Kitchen celebrated its milestone 100th graduation at a ceremony held at the Ronald Reagan Building. Sixteen graduates of the life-changing Culinary Job Training Program were recognized for their perseverance overcoming chronic unemployment to begin new culinary careers.

Mayor Muriel Bowser presented a Mayoral Proclamation to the graduates, in which she stated: “I, the Mayor of the District of Columbia, do hereby recognize the achievements of DC Central Kitchen’s 100th graduating culinary class and call upon all the residents of this great city to join me in commending Class 100 and DC Central Kitchen for their efforts to feed the soul of the District of Columbia.”

DC At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman and Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) presented a ceremonial resolution on behalf of the Council declaring July 10 “DC Central Kitchen Day” in the District of Columbia.

Be sure to visit DCCK’s Flickr page to check out some great photos from Class 100′s journey!

]]>http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dc-central-kitchen-marked-100th-graduation-on-july-10/feed/0DC Central Kitchen and Playworks team up to provide healthy snacks for DC youthhttp://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dc-central-kitchen-and-playworks-team-up-to-provide-healthy-snacks-for-dc-youth/
http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dc-central-kitchen-and-playworks-team-up-to-provide-healthy-snacks-for-dc-youth/#commentsMon, 22 Jun 2015 17:04:37 +0000http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/?p=7657Read More >>]]>
Earlier this month, DC Central Kitchen visited a group of 60 local elementary students to share healthy eating tips and kid-friendly recipes.

Our nutrition outreach team joined the 4th and 5th graders during their “Junior Coach” training at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy with Playworks DC, a national organization that brings positive play and physical activity to schools. The students attend six DC public schools in low-income areas across DC’s Wards 7 and 8.

To make it approachable for the students, our team used simple recipes with 3 or fewer ingredients —each snack took only about 5 minutes to prepare! Students also went home with recipe cards to create the snacks again at home.

DC Central Kitchen and Playworks are already planning for further ways to partner and provide nutrition education and physical activity promotion for DC’s youth. To learn more about DC Central Kitchen’s community nutrition outreach, visit http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/healthyfutures/.

DC Central Kitchen will celebrate the graduation of our 100th Culinary Job Training (CJT) class on Friday, July 10 with a ceremony held at the Ronald Reagan Building.

The renowned culinary program equips jobless, formerly incarcerated, or homeless adults for careers in the food service industry through a life-changing 14-week program. Over the course of the program, students receive in-kitchen training, job-readiness skills, and self-empowerment sessions that provide a holistic approach to furthering their personal and professional growth.

The CJT program began in 1990, as soon as DCCK landed its first kitchen space—at the time, in a row house on Florida Avenue NW. The three-month program was designed to be shorter than a formal cooking school, but more comprehensive than a general job readiness service. Trainees were recruited from homeless shelters and halfway houses, gaining culinary skills as they helped prepare the meals DCCK delivered to those same housing programs each day.

The program got a major boost from the hospitality industry, which soon saw CJT as more than a charitable service—rather, it was a source of human capital. Chefs donated their time as guest lecturers and became internship supervisors. Marriott International began as a DCCK food donor, but soon began investing in the training program. In 2008, the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation ‘sponsored’ the full cost of an entire CJT cohort—putting people back to work in the face of a recession. Since then, Marriott has supported an entire class each year, including DC Central Kitchen’s 100th class.

In its 25 years of operation, the CJT program has produced 1,700 graduates. Since the recession of 2008 alone, CJT has prepared 600 graduates with a 90% job placement rate.

We hope you’ll join DC Central Kitchen as we celebrate the accomplishments of our 100th CJT class in the company of friends, family, and esteemed guests on Friday, July 10. Television and radio host Tavis Smiley, DCCK founder Robert Egger, Chef José Andrés, and local elected officials will join friends and family to celebrate the remarkable achievements of Class 100 and the 1,700 men and women whose lives have been changed by the self-empowerment and self-sufficiency the Culinary Job Training program imparted on them.

Ceremony is taking place in the Amphitheater. Please follow signs for “The Capitol Steps”

]]>http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dcck-to-celebrate-milestone-100th-graduation-for-culinary-job-training-program/feed/0Join DCCK on June 4 for #DoMore24http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/join-dcck-on-june-4-for-domore24/
http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/join-dcck-on-june-4-for-domore24/#commentsTue, 19 May 2015 18:51:58 +0000http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/?p=7539Read More >>]]>

As a proud member of the United Way of the National Capital Area, DC Central Kitchen will again participate in the third annual Do More 24 fundraiser on Thursday, June 4. This one-day fundraiser is a local movement that encourages our community to contribute to local causes and organizations to solve our region’s most pressing challenges. More than 500 nonprofits that serve in D.C., Maryland and Virginia will participate this year.

There are several ways you can get involved and support DC Central Kitchen’s Do More 24 campaign:

2. Come to our event! On Thursday, June 4 from 5-7pm, DCCK will host our very own #DoMore24 happy hour at the Gordon Biersch located in Gallery Place (900 F Street, NW). Enjoy free passed appetizers and proceeds from the “charity keg” benefit the campaign. Come get some free swag, eat and drink with friends, and support Do More 24!

3. Tell your friends! Invite your personal networks to join us on June 4! The more the merrier.

3. Keep following us! While we’re on several social platforms, most of our #DoMore24 updates will live on Twitter. Retweets welcome!

As always, thank you for supporting DC Central Kitchen. We hope you’ll join us on June 4 and give where you live.

For the fourth year in a row, DC Central Kitchen’s school foods team was chosen to prep, cook, and plate more than 100 dishes based on recipes submitted by young people in all 50 states. The catch? It had to be done in a mere three hours!

First Lady Michelle Obama, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Education teamed up again this year to create the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Kids’ State Dinner – a competition that engages kids ages 8-12 in creating an original, healthy recipe. Finalists’ recipes were cooked and plated by DCCK on May 15th for the official judging, and one winner from each of the 50 states will be selected and have the opportunity to attend a Kids’ State Dinner at the White House in July.

It took more than a week’s worth of planning to prepare for last week’s event, which included recipes like sriracha shrimp over quinoa with vegetables, a sweet turkey chili with kidney beans, and fish tacos. Judges included Debra Eschmeyer of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move program, representatives from the Department of Education and the Department of Agriculture, as well as two kid graduates of Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters class.

DC Central Kitchen’s culinary team while busy in the week’s leading up to the judging, were well-suited to cook and plate the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge kid-created recipes. As the primary school food provider for 10 DC schools, DC Central Kitchen knows a thing or two about developing meals kids will actually eat. From our Fresh Feature Friday taste-testing activity that engages young people in their very own lunchtime ‘food democracy,’ to the 6,300 locally-sourced, scratch-cooked, healthy meals served every day to kids in DC’s low-income communities – DCCK has what it takes to meet the incredible task of assembling more than 100 healthy recipes in a short period of time.

You can learn more about our school foods program in our latest annual report.

]]>http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dc-central-kitchen-serves-up-108-dishes-in-3-hours-for-the-healthy-lunchtime-challenge/feed/0DCCK helps kick off 20th season of the USDA’s Farmers Markethttp://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dcck-helps-kick-off-20th-season-of-the-usdas-farmers-market/
http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dcck-helps-kick-off-20th-season-of-the-usdas-farmers-market/#commentsMon, 04 May 2015 21:31:16 +0000http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/?p=7485Read More >>]]>

On Friday, DC Central Kitchen joined Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator Anne Alonzo at the opening ceremony of the USDA Farmers Market. Located near the National Mall on 12th Street and Independence Ave SW, the market now includes more than 30 vendors and is open every Friday from 9am to 2pm through October 30, 2015.

The USDA Farmers Market plays an important role in creating economic opportunities for local farmers, and DCCK was honored to be a part of this event that celebrated that relationship. In the last fiscal year alone, DCCK invested $153,378 in local farms by purchasing more than 200,000 pounds of produce for our meals.

In addition to our local purchasing power, DCCK often gleans from DC area Farmers Markets, collecting leftover produce and unsold product that we can process with the help of volunteers in our industrial kitchen located just blocks from the United States Capitol. We will continue to glean product from the USDA Farmers Market this year as well.

DC Central Kitchen’s most recent Culinary Job Training class marked the end of 14 weeks of training and the beginning of their future at last Friday’s graduation ceremony.

The Walmart-sponsored class was joined by friends, family, DCCK staff and alumni, and esteemed guests at the U.S. Navy Memorial and Heritage Center to commemorate the achievements of Class 99.

Nina Albert, Director, Public Affairs and Government Relations for Walmart gave the keynote address in which she remarked that it’s not just about hard work, but the courage to go after your dreams that makes someone successful in life.

Class 99 had a lot to celebrate. Current employers include Marriott Key Bridge, Nando’s PERi-PERi, Clyde’s Restaurant, Levy Restaurant, and CulinAerie. Students are earning an average hourly wage of $12.00/hour.

During the course of the program students welcomed esteemed guest chefs Vera Oye’ Yaa-Anna (The Palaver Hut) and Rock Harper (Chef and DCCK supporter) and participated in field trips to L’Academie de Cuisine and Jaleo DC.

Thank you to the Walmart Foundation, our many guest chefs, and our internship and restaurant partners for supporting Class 99. Without you, DC Central Kitchen would never be able to continue our work creating opportunity in DC. Thank you!

If you missed this graduation, be sure to mark your calendar and join us to celebrate the achievements of Class 100 on July 10!

For more images from this celebratory event, be sure to visit our Flickr page.

Women’s Empowerment Class 2 got the chance to test their pastry skills last week while they worked to create one of more than 80 birthday cakes made by culinary professionals to celebrate Jacques Pépin’s 80th birthday on Friday.

DCCK students had the great fortune of working with Willow co-owner and pastry chef Kate Jansen, who volunteered her time to help the class bake, build, and decorate their cake that would be presented alongside works by Spago pastry chef Della Gossett, Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes, and DC-based Paisley Fig Bakery, among many others.

The excitement didn’t end with our cake on Friday night. On Sunday, DCCK was again recognized by the IACP during their awards luncheon where DCCK CEO Mike Curtin accepted the Local Community Service Award on behalf of the Kitchen. The award recognizes the work of a member of the local community who has had an important and indelible impact on the Annual Conference host city.

DCCK was honored to be involved in this incredible weekend with IACP. For providing Chef Pépin’s 80 cakes experience for our students, for recognizing DCCK for our work impacting DC residents, and for the countless other internships, jobs, and opportunities provided by culinary professionals to our graduates – thank you!

This past Saturday and Sunday, kitchen legends José Andrés, Joan Nathan, and Alice Waters hosted the annual Sips & Suppers weekend culinary event to raise funds for DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table. Top toques from around the country gathered in the nation’s capital for two extraordinary evenings of fine dining and raised more than $500,000 to support our vital work to help break the cycles of hunger and poverty.

On Saturday, Sips brought more than 1,000 guests to the Newseum to sample artisan and restaurant dishes while imbibing master creations from local mixologists like Gina Chersevani of Buffalo & Bergen, Trevor Frye of Jack Rose, and Chad Robinson of Catoctin Creek. VIP guests enjoyed the opportunity to meet, mingle and have cookbooks signed by celebrity chefs including Carla Hall, Charles Phan and Aglaia Kremezi from Greece, while all guests had the opportunity to enjoy the JetBlue Lounge and the Celebrity Cruises “partyvators” in the Newseum’s glass elevators.

On Sunday, Suppers were hosted at 31 homes across D.C. and Northern Virginia. Guests gathered in the intimate setting to enjoy exquisite five-course meals and wine pairings prepared by the nation’s most talented chefs including David Chang of Momofuku, Adam Sobel of RN74, and Michael Solomonov of Zahav as well as more than 40 of DC’s stellar chefs including Ris Lacoste of Ris, Erik Bruner Yang of Toki Underground, Jamie Leeds of Hank’s Oyster Bar and Mike Isabella of Graffiato.

“We’re thrilled that this year’s Sips & Suppers exceeded all expectations,” said Joan Nathan, renowned cookbook author and co-founder of Sips & Suppers. “It is truly amazing to have the culinary community’s support in our efforts to fight hunger in the district and in supporting the practical solutions that DC Central Kitchen and Martha’s Table provide.”

Sips & Suppers 2015 marked the 7th anniversary of the event, which was founded in 2009 as celebrities both in and out of the kitchen descended on DC to celebrate the first inauguration of President Obama. For additional information on Sips & Suppers, please visit www.sipsandsuppers.org.

On Friday, January 10, DC Central Kitchen celebrated with the graduates of culinary job training Class 98 at the US Navy Memorial and Heritage Center. We were honored to welcome Carla Hall as the special guest keynote speaker, who spoke about her perspective on what it means to experience life’s highs and lows, and how one must always look for the upside of feeling down and out.

Seventeen men and women commemorated the end of their rigorous 14 weeks of culinary training at a packed house that included esteemed chef and restaurateur José Andrés, as well as friends, family, and DCCK staff.

Class 98 also marked the sixth consecutive year of the J. Williard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation’s generous support of the culinary training program. Kathleen Wellington, director of culinary sustainability at Marriott International, shared her experience in the culinary field and stressed the importance of being flexible as your career path changes. The requirements of a job in the hospitality sector can change suddenly, and embracing those changes is a vital key to professional success.

Graduate Kevin Smith was elected Class Representative and used his speech to reflect on the growth Class 98 experienced during their time together. Smith reminded the audience that regardless of where you come from, what your background is, or the color of your skin, everyone experiences challenges in life. It’s a certainty that unites us all, he said, but it doesn’t have to define us.

Employers of the graduating class include Ingleside Rock Creek, Giant Foods, Harris Teeter, and Vision of Victor with an average wage of $11.10/hour.

Thank you to all of our generous sponsors who help make the culinary job training program and the success of our graduates possible! If you didn’t make it to this graduation, be sure to mark your calendars for Class 99’s graduation ceremony on Friday, April 10th!

VIP tickets, priced at $200, are also available and include one hour early access to the Newseum, an exclusive VIP lounge with notable chefs such as Joan Nathan, Alice Waters and Carla Hall, a wine tasting featuring flights from acclaimed local Virginia wineries, epicurean hors d’oeuvres, and a VIP gift bag including a signed celebrity chef cookbook.

Suppers: Sunday, January 25 | 6:00 p.m.

Suppers will be held at more than 30 homes across the city featuring some of the nation’s most celebrated chefs. Toques such as David Chang, Cathal Armstong, and Charles Phan will descend on D.C. to prepare exquisite meals for Supper guests. This intimate setting allows guests to speak with these master chefs, dine on five course meals expertly paired with fine wines from around the world. Tickets for Suppers are priced at $600.

It was another packed house at DC Central Kitchen’s Class 97 graduation ceremony on October 10. Friends, family and esteemed guests joined DCCK staff, CJT graduates, and current CJT students at the commemorative event held at the U.S. Navy Memorial and Heritage Center.

Ward 5 Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie gave the keynote address, during which he spoke about his own story of success and the journey that brought him to public service. Though today the Councilmember is a law school graduate, he faced serious barriers in pursuing higher education. Raised by a working-class family in Northeast DC, Councilmember McDuffie worked as a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service before attending college and becoming the first male in his family ever to graduate from college.

Like many of our students, McDuffie knew he was capable of more, but had to seek the courage to try and maintain the perseverance to meet his own potential.

Sixteen out of 20 Class 97 graduates have already secured employment with an average starting wage of $12.07 per hour. Employers include the newly opened Willie’s Brew and Que, owned by former culinary job training instructor Chef Rock Harper, Sodexo food services at Venable and Howard University, Nando’s, CulinAerie, and Burger Works. The remaining graduates will continue to receive employment support from DCCK, including resume preparation, mock interviews, and job placement.

DC Central Kitchen’s graduation is always a high-energy, festive event that marks the end of a rigorous 14-week commitment our students have made not only to their culinary training, but to the self-empowerment and life skills they need to be successful in their lives and careers.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and for the investments of our friends and champions that help make DCCK’s Culinary Job Training program a reality.

Check out more great photos from Class 97′s graduation ceremony on our Flickr page.

Yesterday, DC Central Kitchen staff, graduates, and friends grew a little bit closer to each other as we shared in the delight of seeing our very own CJT graduate Howard Thomas on ABC’s hit cooking-themed daytime talk show, “The Chew.”

The show dedicated a significant amount of air time to portraying the work of the Kitchen and our graduates. Howard, who is currently the lead production cook at Washington Jesuit Academy for our Healthy School Food program, did such an incredible job representing the Kitchen and sharing his story in front of a live studio audience!

It’s official! Tickets are now on sale for DCCK’s signature fundraising event, the Capital Food Fight™.

A-list chefs, culinary celebrities, and guests will gather on November 11, 2014 at the Ronald Reagan Building to watch four local chefs compete in an Iron Chef-style battle and four teams of pastry chefs compete in the High Stakes Cakes competition.

Presented by Walmart, the Capital Food Fight draws over 1,000 guests and offers culinary indulgences from more than 75 of DC’s best restaurants.

]]>http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/capital-food-fight-tickets-on-sale-now/feed/0Celebration in Order for Central Union Mission’s First Class of CJT Graduateshttp://www.dccentralkitchen.org/celebration-in-order-for-central-union-missions-first-class-of-cjt-graduates/
http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/celebration-in-order-for-central-union-missions-first-class-of-cjt-graduates/#commentsWed, 20 Aug 2014 18:39:01 +0000http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/?p=6435Read More >>]]>

Last Friday marked a DC Central Kitchen milestone: our first Culinary Job Training class from Central Union Mission graduated! Twelve weeks of hard work paid off for the 10 graduates who joined friends, family and DCCK supporters at Central Union Mission to celebrate their achievements and plans for the future.

Class 1 representative Lee Hylton addressed the audience, his fellow graduates, and the men and women of DCCK’s Class 97, who just completed their sixth week of training, and said: “Every day DC Central Kitchen exemplifies that there are still people who want to help others.” He added, “This program worked for me and my classmates, and it will work for you too.”

Lee, who spent 24 months in prison prior to starting the Culinary Job Training Program, secured a job prior to Friday’s graduation and started working this week at Acacia Bistro in the Van Ness neighborhood of Northwest DC. Other employers of the graduating class include Sodexo at Marymount University and Nando’s Peri Peri; and graduates are earning an average hourly wage of $11.62.

A steady job can mean a world of change for men and women overcoming obstacles like incarceration, homelessness and addiction. Our Culinary Job Training program works with students and alumni to help them secure a good job to support themselves and their families.

DC Central Kitchen’s Culinary Job Training program would not be possible without the investments of our community partners, including the Capital One Foundation, CityCenterDC, The City Fund, and the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, among others. The Culinary Job Training program always has more applicants than it can accommodate, and partnerships like these create opportunities for us to provide more students with the critical tools they need to break the cycle of dependency and find jobs.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at this milestone event. We look forward to seeing you at 2pm on October 10th at the U.S. Navy Memorial and Heritage Center where we’ll celebrate DCCK’s 97th class of CJT graduates!

DC Central Kitchen invites you to join us on September 18th for a launch party celebrating the release of the new book written in honor of our 25th anniversary year, “The Food Fighters: DC Central Kitchen’s First 25 Years on the Front Lines of Hunger and Poverty” by our own Chief Development Officer, Alexander Justice Moore.

Tickets are $75 each, and include food, drinks, and a signed copy of “The Food Fighters.”$40 of your purchase is a tax deductible contribution to DC Central Kitchen

Online ticket sales have closed. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Can’t make the event but want to buy the book? You can find it on Amazon. (Don’t forget to use AmazonSmile to support DC Central Kitchen!)

Thanks to our good friends for their support of this celebration:

]]>http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/book-launch-party-honoring-dc-central-kitchens-25th-anniversary/feed/0DCCK Opens New Baking Corner to Provide Healthy, Whole Grain Snacks and Baked Goods to 35 Afterschool Programshttp://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dcck-opens-new-baking-corner-to-provide-healthy-whole-grain-snacks-and-baked-goods-to-35-afterschool-programs/
http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/dcck-opens-new-baking-corner-to-provide-healthy-whole-grain-snacks-and-baked-goods-to-35-afterschool-programs/#commentsThu, 14 Aug 2014 12:57:22 +0000http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/?p=6360Read More >>]]>On August 7th we celebrated the official opening of DC Central Kitchen’s new Baking Corner! Thanks to key investments from our friends and partners, and a generous matching grant from the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, DCCK is able to bring our healthy baking program to fruition.

Back in April we announced DC Central Kitchen Production Manager William Ferrell’s concept for an innovative baking program at DCCK, for which he hoped to create healthy, whole grain snacks and breads for the afterschool programs we serve. William, who came to DC Central Kitchen in 2010 after being released from prison, was a student in our Culinary Job Training program and now serves on staff as a supervisor in the Kitchen. With a long held passion for baking, and a personal interest area for culinary growth, William realized he could make our snacks for afterschool programs more nutritious and less costly by doing more baking on-site and relying less on packaged, processed foods.

William creatively uses ingredients such as natural sweeteners and avocados to make traditional favorites, like banana bread and cheesecake, much healthier. For the Baking Corner opening, William shared samples of some of his original baked goods recipes, including pumpkin bread with lower sugar content, and whole wheat biscuits. Our guests indulged in his healthy treats while exploring some of the new equipment purchased for the Baking Corner. Among several items that now make up this new space, William and his team have access to multiple stand mixers and special attachments, a proofing box to help bread rise, a wood work table for rolling dough, and lots of new baking pans.

We can only achieve our mission to use food as a tool to strengthen bodies, empower minds, and build communities with the help of our many partners. Because of this support, William, his team, and the more than 15,000 volunteers that work in the Kitchen each year are now able to put his ideas into action by working in this space to create new, innovative snacks and healthy meal concepts for our partners. We’re excited to leverage the talent and passion of our culinary staff and dedicated volunteers to ensure that the afterschool programs for low-income children that rely on our meals receive healthy and nutritious snacks that fuel their minds and future success!

Join us at the Kitchen to check out this awesome new baking space and help put William’s brainchild into action.

Chefs and restaurateurs are busy people. So why do Chef/Owners Tracy O’Grady and Kate Jansen of Willow Restaurant spend hours of their precious free time in our kitchen?

Personally, I’m always inspired by the programs and the folks who beat the odds with the help of DC Central Kitchen. DCCK focuses on long-term solutions, which is key.- Tracy O’Grady, Willow Restaurant

DCCK’s partners like the team at Willow are a big part of helping us carry out those long-term solutions by directly working with DCCK’s students and staff, and expanding our network of supporters.

“There is no more generous group with their time than our friends in the hospitality business, and Tracy and Kate live that every day,” says DC Central Kitchen CEO Mike Curtin. “As a recovering restaurateur, I understand the immense demands on their time, yet they give of that time freely and lovingly in ways that continue to change lives and inspire others.”

Over the last fifteen years, Kate and Tracy have taught guest lessons through our Culinary Job Training Program and participated in “Heritage Days”—special events where top chefs prepare their favorite dishes with our students and offer advice about building a career as a chef.

Kate and Tracy also started a mentoring program for our female students with women of the prestigious Les Dames d’Escoffier, of which Kate and Tracy are members. The “Les Dames,” as they are affectionately called, offer advice, support, and friendship for the women in our program (and also treat all of our students to an incredible brunch the morning of their graduation day). Most recently, Tracy and Kate teamed up with Will Artley of Pizzeria Orso, a long-time supporter of DCCK and a current board member, to organize a fundraiser at Willow.

“We are foot soldiers for the kitchen,” said Tracy, who is also a DCCK board member. “We do not have huge resources to donate, but we participate every year in small ways. I think our importance to the Kitchen is our long-term support, and I think others can support in that way as well.”

DCCK’s Director of Job Training, Marianne Ali, has seen first-hand the impact of Kate and Tracy’s long-term support. “It is apparent,” Marianne said, “that even in their busy restaurateur lives, Kate and Tracy ALWAYS hold DCCK near and dear to their hearts.” And for that, we are very grateful.

Be sure to check out the Willow Team at the D.C. BRGR Bash on Saturday, July 19! For every slider Willow sells, D.C. BRGR Bash will donate $0.50 to DC Central Kitchen. Willow is the defending champion—so we can guarantee the burger will be good.

]]>http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/restaurant-partner-profile-willow-restaurant/feed/0Shophouse Test Opening Benefits DC Central Kitchenhttp://www.dccentralkitchen.org/shophouse-test-opening-benefits-dc-central-kitchen/
http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/shophouse-test-opening-benefits-dc-central-kitchen/#commentsMon, 28 Apr 2014 17:24:02 +0000http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/?p=5407Read More >>]]>On May 5th from 6-8 PM, join DC Central Kitchen at the new Shophouse at 710 7th Street NW for a special test opening. Show the staffers the image below at the door for admission and a free meal with an optional donation to DC Central Kitchen.
]]>http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/shophouse-test-opening-benefits-dc-central-kitchen/feed/0